The Pink Floyd video “Take It Back” required a number of effects shots in a short period of time. VisionArt contracted to provide the opening sequence of the video and several other shots for the large scale projects. From the day we received plates to the deadline was two weeks.
The opening sequence featured a water tunnel which opened up into a gold liquid environment which was designed and implemented by animator Vinh Le. Using fractal patterns for reference, Vinh modeled the organic gold shapes that dove in and out of the liquid below and created an interesting camera move to complement the action.
![Still of road destruction from the music video](/images/2008/03/floyd-take-it-back-1.avif)
![Still of road destruction from the music video, flowers flying through the air](/images/2008/03/floyd-take-it-back-2.avif)
![Still of road destruction from the music video, rocks being torn up](/images/2008/03/floyd-take-it-back-3.avif)
The climactic destruction scene of the video came overlooking a california highway filmed with a heavy orange look. The production team shot an empty highway to which we added the destruction. The CG elements included a bright nuclear flash followed by a giant stop motion mushroom growing in the background. The cement was digitally cracked and flowers were created to grow out of the cracks. Then a cloudy sky formed and a tornado ripped up the sky and the ground coming towards camera. We added rocks and stones and ripped up the existing highway to throw it at the camera. We also destroyed the fence on the right at the last minute.
Working on this type of project allowed us an unusual amount of creativity right down to the last minute. It was very rewarding to see the final shot in the video only a week later playing on MTV.